Snowstorm traps hundreds on Mt. Everest
BEIJING—Rescue workers were helping hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media said late Sunday.
About 350 hikers had reached a meeting point in Tingri county and rescuers were in contact with another 200, state broadcaster China Central Television said. There was no immediate update on rescue efforts on Monday.
The hikers were trapped at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters, according to an earlier report from Jimu News, a Chinese online site. Mount Everest is about 8,850 meters tall.
A hiker who rushed to descend before snow blocked the way told Jimu News that others still on the mountain told him the snow was 1 meter deep and had crushed tents.
Hundreds of rescuers headed up the mountain on Sunday to clear paths so that trapped people could come down, the Jimu report said. A video shot by a villager showed a long line of people with horses and oxen moving up a winding path in the snow.
The snowstorm struck during a weeklong national holiday in China, when many travel at home and abroad.
Mount Everest straddles the border between China and Nepal.
